Friday, June 19, 2015

Hear ye, hear ye! Presenting an exclusive cover reveal
of author Veronica Scott's
latest sci-fi romance, STAR CRUISE: MAROONED! This action-adventure short novel
releases officially on Monday, June 22, 2015 at the bargain price of $.99 cents and will be sold
digitally at various online retailers.

Behold the delightful cover:

Meg Antille works long hours on the charter cruise
ship Far Horizon so she can send
credits home to her family. Working hard to earn a promotion to a better post
(and better pay), Meg has no time for romance.

Former Special Forces soldier Red Thomsill only took
the berth on the Far Horizon in hopes
of getting to know Meg better, but so far she’s kept him at a polite distance.
A scheduled stopover on the idyllic beach of a nature preserve planet may be
his last chance to impress the girl.

But when one of the passengers is attacked by a wild
animal it becomes clear that conditions on the lushly forested Dantaralon
aren’t as advertised – the ranger station is deserted, the defensive perimeter
is down…and then the Far Horizon’s
shuttle abruptly leaves without any of them.

Marooned on the dangerous outback world, romance is
the least of their concerns, and yet Meg and Red cannot help being drawn to
each other once they see how well they work together. But can they survive long
enough to see their romance through? Or will the wild alien planet defeat them,
ending their romance and their lives before anything can really begin?

***

There's more! Enjoy an excerpt from the first chapter:

CHAPTER ONE

The
shuttle broke out of the cloud layer and swooped over a breathtaking vista of
pink and green foliage, practically glowing in the vid screens. The rainforest
spread across the planet as far as the scanners could detect. Clouds of
multicolored birds flew above the treetops, drawing the eye to their wheeling
movement across the turquoise sky. Here and there, rainbows curved from puffy
clouds, where seasonal showers had added moisture to the air. As Meg walked
through the cabin, offering refreshments to their guests, she attempted to
direct their attention to the view of the planet. Anchored by trees soaring
hundreds of feet from the surface, the foliage and avian wildlife were
something never seen on the highly civilized worlds where these people lived
and worked. Although they’d paid a staggering amount of credits to be taken to
this site, neither the primary guest, nor the people he’d brought, seemed to
care. Drinking, playing cards, and indulging in sexual innuendo took all their
attention.

Not
much changed from cruise to cruise with the rich and powerful, despite Meg’s
best efforts to share the simple pleasure she found in the surroundings at each
port of call.

At
the rear of the main cabin, she found at least one passenger watching the
screen above her seat. “How are you doing?”

Callina
Finchon Bettis took her attention from the view for a moment, giving Meg a
little wave. “Fine, smooth ride so far. When can we see the Falls?”

“Soon.
The pilot likes to swoop in from the front, as if we’re going to splash right
through the water.” Meg leaned closer. “But don’t worry, he veers to the side
at the last moment.” She placed an iced fruit drink at the woman’s elbow.
“Maybe five more minutes.”

As
Callina murmured thanks, Meg retreated to the galley, where she found the only
other crew member besides the pilot.

“Passengers
all happy now?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

“I
don’t think this bunch is ever happy,” she said. “You’ll find generational
billionaires rarely are, when you’ve done more of these private charters. But
at least I’ve supplied them with feelgoods.” She slid the drink tray into the
chiller. “Did you need something?”

Simon
‘Red’ Thomsill held up his hands in mock surrender. “I know, this is your
territory and I shouldn’t be here, Guild rules. But the pilot wanted coffee.”

Hands
on her hips, Meg smothered an impatient sigh. “First of all, he should have
buzzed me for it, and secondly, he knows perfectly well only guests are
entitled to genuine Terran coffee.”

“Wow,
are you this dedicated to rules all the time?” He leaned against the emergency
portal and studied her, one eyebrow raised as if he might be trying to tease
her.

Two
internal call signals pinged, one right after the other. From the cabin, she
heard female passengers swearing at each other. She straightened her tunic as
if gathering determination, and headed out to mediate whatever the problem was
now. “No tip is going to be big enough,” she said under her breath. Pausing on
the threshold, she glanced at Red. “I’m responsible for the coffee inventory on
this shuttle, and it comes out of my pay if the weight is short.”

“I
didn’t know.”

“Yeah,
there’s a lot you don’t know, rookie. But Drewson does. The synth stuff crew
members drink is over there.” Pointing at the proper carafe, she left the
galley as more voices joined the clamor in the passenger section.

One
of the scantily clad women had spilled her beverage all over another’s ample
cleavage, staining both the woman’s skin and skimpy bikini top. The agressor
was pulling the other’s hair and screaming insults, while her victim tried to
land some blows anywhere she could reach. The primary guest laughed and made
bets with the two men seated next to him, wagering on which woman would
prevail.

Meg
waded into the fray. “Ladies, please, we’re about to land. You’re required to
be in your seats before we can make our final approach.” She caught the second
woman’s elbow. Modulating her voice to a soothing tone, Meg said, “I can remove
the stain, Ma’am, no problem.”

The
women paused in their altercation, gazing beyond her with wide eyes. A moment
later, both fluffed their hair.

Without
turning, Meg knew Red had followed her. She’d observed his effect on females
more than once already on this cruise. Something about his 6’4” height, the
heavily muscled biceps, the chiseled features, the sparkling green eyes…Well,
okay, to be honest, he had the same effect on her, but she wasn’t about to let
him know. Been there, done that with a tempting crewman or two on her early
tours. Crew romances were nothing but trouble when the first attraction
inevitably flamed out.

Although
Red was more tempting than anyone she’d met in a long time.

***

Glad you could join me for this exclusive cover reveal of Veronica Scott's STAR CRUISE: MAROONED! For more information, visit the author's web site and follow her on Twitter (vscotttheauthor). Joyfully yours,Heather

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About Me: Heather travels the sea of stars for news about science fiction romance. She's also an author in the genre. To get in touch, you can email her, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

About Me

Heather’s debut sci-fi romance novel, Once Upon a Time in Space, features the last living descendant of Christopher Columbus on a desperate quest to find a new world. Standing in his way is Raquel, the deadliest space pirate in the galaxy.